Lion in the Valley: The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 4

Amelia Peabody, archaeologist and woman extraordinaire, should have greeted the approaching excavation with transports of joy. Nothing in the world could compare with exploring the muddy, musty corridors of some bat-infested pyramid. And at Dahshoor, to which she was headed, there existed some particularly fine specimens.

Interesting introduction to one of the best scoundrels to plague the Emersons. Barbara Rosenblatt is excellent, as usual in this series but you must continue with the next books to get the full benefit of Ms Rosenblatt's ability to round out new personalities.This is a romp and you must appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor of the author to fully enjoy this terrific series.

Lord of the Silent: An Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense, Book 13

Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia and Emerson set sail once again for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and spectres of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land. In the autumn of 1915 Cairo is transformed into an army camp teeming with enemy agents and shockingly bold tomb robbers are brazenly desecrating the ancient sites. Amelia seeks refuge at a remote dig in Luxor, but this provides no guarantee of safety when she discovers a fresh corpse in an ancient tomb.

Fans of Elizabeth Peter's "Amelia Peabody" series will not be disappointed with "Lord of the Silent". The progression of character development is good. The story moves very quickly in some sections (almost too quickly) but the story is sound.Barbara Rosenblat as the narrator is terrific as usual with only a few minor slips in character.I would love to find more writers and series as entertaining as this! Good, clean, fun!

Longbourn

In this irresistibly imagined belowstairs answer to Pride and Prejudice, the servants take center stage. Sarah, the orphaned housemaid, spends her days scrubbing the laundry, polishing the floors, and emptying the chamber pots for the Bennet household. But there is just as much romance, heartbreak, and intrigue downstairs at Longbourn as there is upstairs. When a mysterious new footman arrives, the orderly realm of the servants’ hall threatens to be completely, perhaps irrevocably, upended.

As a fan of Jane Austen I found this book offensive. While I believe the author's desire is partly to show the 'other side' of the story or the point of view of the servant. I read JA precisely because I do not like to be assaulted with the ugly, seedy and immoral stories of characters, the likes of whom I would never choose to associate with I my daily life let alone for reading entertainment.An author's desire to examine the disgusting under-belly of humanity to seek out motive and reason is not my idea of relaxing and entertaining reading. This was a sadly disappointing 'read'.

The Golden One: An Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense, Book 14

A new year, 1917, is dawning, and the Great War that ravages the world shows no sign of abating. Answering the siren call of Egypt once more, Amelia Peabody and her family arrive at their home in Luxor to learn of a new royal tomb ransacked by thieves. Soon an even more disturbing outrage concerns the intrepid clan of archaeologists: the freshly and savagely slain corpse of a thief defiling the ancient burial site. Yet this is nothing compared with the lethal fate that threatens Ramses.

As an appreciative reader of the Amelia Peabody series I was thrilled to see this book in it's unabridged form. The performance by Barbara Rosenblat is unequaled in my listening experience. And the story is fun, humorous and interesting as are almost all in this series.Please continue to petition Audible to skip the abridged versions of this series or any other for that matter!

A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It is a universal story of family love and a lyrical masterpiece, as beautiful as the great trout rivers of western Montana upon which it is set. Its beauty is especially evident through the "near-perfect match" of reader Ivan Doig and author Norman MacLean.

A lyrical turn of phrase is well and good. I enjoy an exploration of relationships, but this one leaves so much out that I found I was very frustrated that the personalities were not further developed.

The Secret: Highlands' Lairds, Book 1

Judith Hampton was as beautiful as she was proud and loyal. Her dear Scottish friend from childhood was about to give birth, and Judith had promised to be at her side. But there was another reason for the journey from her bleak English home to the Highlands: to meet the father she had never known, the Laird Maclean. Nothing prepared her, however, for the sight of the Scottish barbarian who was to escort her into his land...Iain Maitland, laird of his clan, a man more powerfully compelling than any she had ever encountered.

While I believe the writer was trying to explore and explain human motivations, the characters sometimes seemed bi-polar. The male characters zip between rage and kind understanding. And while the female characters have admirable and mature qualities, they giggle and talk like 12 years olds. This could be due more to the narrator than the writing. I think I may have really enjoyed this novel when I was 15, but it felt a bit like a waste of time as an adult.

Overall this is a nice story. However it can be surprisingly graphic in describing some of the violent conflicts and then the ending of this one just got a bit too sappy for me. Some of the terminology gets tediously redundant. If you can overlook these flaws, it is nice to read about strong relationships and family bonds without the sordid and baser side of humanity being explored.

Lord of the Silent: The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 13

Undeterred by world war and enemy submarines, Amelia Peabody, grandmaster Elizabeth Peters' indomitable archaeologist-sleuth, once again sets sail for Egypt, where ghosts of an ancient past and specters of a present-day evil hover silently over an inscrutable land.

So incredibly disappointed with Audible for not making the unabridged versions available. This is just a butchered mess; the story is disjointed and disappointing on all levels because of the missing portions. I feel cheated.

The Beginning: Longhorn Series, Book 1

Buck Cordell is a giant of a man in a giant, untamed land called Texas. He builds a cattle ranch where ordinary men all say it can't be done a cattle empire that defies all odds, a family that changes the course of Texas history, and a legacy that outlives the Old West.

'Hear' are some characters from the American west that you will find yourself rooting for. A little stilted and predictable. But I happen to prefer typical 'good guys' to 'darker' characters and novels.If you are a fan of Louis L'Amour or John Wayne westerns I think it's safe to say you will enjoy this.This is entertaining, if lighter, reading. Although the descriptions of death and/or violence might be a little more graphic that necessary - for my taste anyway.I will likely continue with the series.

Although familiar with the story I had never read this well-known tale. I am happy that I did not pay full-price! What should have been an exciting and interesting adventure was simply tedious. The main character seemed to be having fainting fits through the whole book. I just could not feel any connection to any of the characters.I enjoy Tim Curry's voice and would like to listen to another audiobook narrated by him, but the story fell flat.

Longhorn: The Hondo Kid: Longhorn Series, Book 2

He was 14. The Comanche slaughtered his parents and burned his house to the ground. His only brother never returned from the Civil War. Now the kid from Hondo, Texas, had nothing or no one. What would he do? Where would he go? How would he live? A chance good Samaritan act in the middle of the desert changed the course of his life and gave him a way to survive in the most dangerous way possible.

If you enjoy stories set in the American 'old west' it is likely that you will enjoy this book.One caveat is that it ends quite abruptly. This is, I am sure, to draw the reader/listener along to the next in the series. But I would say the whole of this story could have been a portion of the first book or included with the third in the series - not a lot of meat on the bone so to speak. This is the second in the series and is entertaining reading. I am afraid that some of the phraseology may get tedious if the writer is not able to come up with a broader vocabulary for his characters. But for a light 'read' it is overall decent if your expectations are not too high.

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